Winchell, Asmussen Have Another 'Runner'
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SUNDAY, MARCH 27, 2016 ‘EASY’ WIN FOR LAND OVER SEA WINCHELL, ASMUSSEN Having seen enough of the hind-quarters of a certain HAVE ANOTHER ‘RUNNER’ champion filly called Songbird (Medaglia d’Oro) in each of her five most recent trips to the post, Reddam Racing LLC’s Land Over Sea (Bellamy Road) ventured beyond the confines of California for the second time in her career and punched her ticket to the GI Kentucky Oaks May 6 with a tough success in the GII Fair Grounds Oaks. “She ran so well,” commented trainer Doug O’Neill. “I loved where she was all the way around. It didn’t look like Adore wasn't going to give up the lead, so I got a little worried for a second that we were going to run second again to a nice filly. [Jockey] Johnny [Velazquez] kept after her and Land Over Sea loved the long stretch and really took advantage of it. So grateful for Reddams for giving me this filly and the opportunity.” Cont. p5 Gun Runner heads to Louisville a Louisiana Derby winner Hodges photography CALIFORNIA CHROME DAZZLES IN DUBAI The Winchell Family have teamed with trainer Steve Asmussen California Chrome (Lucky Pulpit) won the G1 Dubai World for many a big-race success over the last several seasons, the Cup Saturday and became North America’s richest-ever vast majority of those courtesy of the sensational Tapit. It is, Thoroughbred. however, a son of Candy Ride (Arg) that is taking the Winchells Click or tap here to go straight to TDN Europe. and partners Three Chimneys Farm down the Triple Crown trail in 2016, and in Gun Runner, the team will head up to Churchill Downs in the not-too-distant future with an improving horse and a live chance in the GI Kentucky Derby in six weeks’ time. Having never raced at a distance shorter than eight furlongs, Gun Runner overcame a slow pace in his Sept. 11 debut going the one-turn mile beneath the Twin Spires and hit the line hard to graduate by 3/4 of a length, then successfully took his show across Interstate 64 to Keeneland, where he knocked out a first- level allowance trying a two-turn route for the first time Oct. 17. He took the next logical step in a sloppy renewal of the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. Nov. 28 and came calling from close range to lead into the final eighth of mile, but weakened from there to finish fourth to Airoforce (Colonel John), Mor Spirit (Eskendereya) and Mo Tom (Uncle Mo) in what has become one of the more productive races of all of 2015. On the surface, the task facing Gun Runner in his seasonal return in the GII Risen Star S. Feb. 20 looked tough, but he drove home a half-length winner from Forevamo (Uncle Mo) and it was onwards and upwards Saturday in the Big Easy. Cont. p3 Colt o/o Diamondsareforesta Filly o/o Dance Swiftly Filly o/o I’m Juliette Bred by Marula Park Bred by WinStar Farm Bred by Charles Deters Louisiana Derby (G2) Winner & Classic-Placed Millionaire www.WinStarFarm.com | (859) 873-1717 Kyle Wilson: (859) 699-8589 | Caroline Walsh: (859) 537-2527 War Pass - Runup the Colors, by A.P. Indy | Fee: $7,500 S&N Sean Tugel: (859) 940-0456 A. K. A. Xe (Indian Ocean) looks after her flashy colt by Paynter PRESIDENT & CO-PUBLISHER Barry Weisbord @barryweisbord while he explores the great [email protected] outdoors at WinStar Farm for the SR. V.P. & CO-PUBLISHER very first time. He was foaled on Sue Finley @suefinley March 24 and is owned and bred [email protected] by Jon and Christine Siegel. Photo V.P., INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS Gary King @garykingTDN provided by foalphotos.com. [email protected] Submit your foal photos directly EDITORIAL to the site. [email protected] Editor-in-Chief: Jessica Martini @JessMartiniTDN Managing Editor: Alan Carasso @EquinealTDN Senior Editor: Steve Sherack @Steve SherackTDN Racing Editor: WONDERFUL...S’MAVERLOUS IN NOLA 7 Brian DiDonato @BDiDonatoTDN One-time claimer S’maverlous (Tiz Wonderful), a 20-1 chance, Associate Editors: Christie DeBernardis @CDeBernardisTDN sat a good trip just off the early pace and kicked away late to Assistant Editors: become a graded winner in Saturday’s GII New Orleans H. Heather Anderson @HLAndersonTDN Ben Massam @BMassamTDN Joe Bianca @countdown2march TUTTIPAESI SHIPS IN TO WIN SANTA ANA 9 ADVERTISING Team Valor Ladies’ Tuttipaesi (Ire) (Clodovil {Ire}) passed on a start [email protected] Director of Advertising: Alycia Borer in New Orleans in favor of Saturday’s GII Santa Ana S. and the Advertising Manager: Lia Kusch decision was rewarded when the gray got home late for the win. Sr. Ad Coordinator/Dir. of Distribution: Sarah K. Andrew @SarahKAndrew Advertising Designer: Amanda Crelin Advertising Assistant: Amanda Foster TRIO WORK TOWARDS SANTA ANITA DERBY 10 Advertising Assistant: August Pons Led by TDN Rising Star Danzing Candy (Twirling Candy), the recent Social Media Strategist: Nichola Henry winner of the GII San Felipe S., a trio of sophomores headed towards MARKETING STRATEGIST the Apr. 9 GI Santa Anita Derby worked Saturday morning in Arcadia. Brittlan Wall @BrittlanWall [email protected] CUSTOMER SERVICE [email protected] Director of Customer Service: Vicki Forbes INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Director of IT: Ray Villa EST Race Click for TV [email protected] 2:40a Takamatsunomiya Kinen-G1, CHU ------------ ---- WORLDWIDE INFORMATION International Editor: Kelsey Riley [email protected] European Editor: Emma Berry [email protected] Newmarket Bureau, Cafe Racing: Sean Cronin & Tom Frary [email protected] 60 Broad Street, Suite 100 Red Bank, NJ 07701 732-747-8060 | 732-747-8955 (fax) www.thoroughbreddailynews.com www.thetdn.com HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 3 OF 10 • THETDN.COM SUNDAY • MARCH 27, 2016 FEATURE PRESENTATION • GII LOUISIANA DERBY Born to Run... Drawn gate one for this second start of the season, Gun Runner took full advantage and was perfectly covered up from third as Candy My Boy (Candy Ride {Arg}) led into the first corner in advance of Dazzling Gem (Misremembered), who entered the Derby on the back of two impressive scores in Arkansas. Still under a long hold from Florent Geroux as the half- mile went up in a modest :48.24, Gun Runner was asked to come after Candy My Boy leaving the three-eighths marker and ambled upside the longshot leader as they neared the top of the long Fair Grounds stretch. Shaken up at the head of the lane, Gun Runner got a couple left-handed whips at the three- sixteenths pole, jumped back onto his left lead about 150 yards from home and held sway as Tom’s Ready made belated progress into second. Dazzling Gem looked destined to be off the board a furlong down, but rerallied inside of Forevamo to be a respectable third. “The good thing is he’s very easy to manage,” explained winning jockey Florent Geroux. “He is so easy to manage and has so many gears. He settles really nicely and when you ask him to go, he has a nice turn of foot. It’s great [to have a Derby horse]. Hopefully we can make a nice run the first Saturday in May.” Cont. p4 After missing out on a ride in last year’s aboard Louisiana Derby runner-up Stanford (Malibu Moon), Florent Geroux is headed back to Churchill with Derby winner Gun Runner | Hodges photography HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 4 OF 10 • THETDN.COM SUNDAY • MARCH 27, 2016 Louisiana Derby cont. Gun Runner is the first produce for his dam, a half-sister to The hard-luck story of the race was favored Mo Tom, who Horse of the Year Saint Liam (Saint Ballado), who annexed the found himself in a stretch predicament similar to the one he GII Hill ‘n’ Dale Molly Pitcher S. in 2011 before being purchased experienced when an unlucky third in the Risen Star. Towards by Ben Leon’s Besilu Stables for $3 million from the Ned Evans the back of the Louisiana Derby field early on, the scopey dark dispersal at the Keeneland November sale. Quiet Giant is the bay caught the eye while advancing on the turn, but jockey dam of a 2-year-old filly by Malibu Moon, a yearling Tapit filly Corey Lanerie opted for an inside run in the stretch, and the colt and was most recently bred back to that leading sire. was short of room on two occasions behind the weakening Candy My Boy. He finished well once out of jail, but could do no Saturday, Fair Grounds better than fourth. Trainer Tom Amoss did not mince words. TWINSPIRES.COM LOUISIANA DERBY-GII, $1,000,000, FG, 3-26, “I really thought he ran a prepared race and a great race, I was 3yo, 1 1/8m, 1:51.06, ft. just puzzled as to why Corey went down to the rail,” said Amoss, 1--GUN RUNNER, 122, c, 3, by Candy Ride (Arg) who took the jockey off Crescent City Oaks winner Our Lady Allie 1st Dam: Quiet Giant (GSW, $405,389), by Giant's Causeway (Private Vow) two races later. “I just hope he didn’t hurt my 2nd Dam: Quiet Dance, by Quiet American horse. I am surprised. There were other choices and I don’t 3rd Dam: Misty Dancer, by Lyphard understand why he did what he did. Watching this was like going O-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC & Three Chimneys Farm; to the schoolyard and watching your kid get beat up by another B-Besilu Stables, LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen; J-Florent kid.